Hyundai Bioscience's treatment tackles Covid, flu

Hyundai Bioscience logo [HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE]

Hyundai Bioscience hopes to make an oral Covid-19 treatment that can also be used for treating the flu.

The Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang-based biopharmaceutical company is currently doing Phase 1 clinical trials of CP-COV03, its oral antiviral Covid-19 treatment candidate. Hyundai Bioscience said Wednesday that as soon as it concludes the trials, it will ask the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for approval to start two separate Phase 2 clinical trials, one for Covid-19 treatment and one for the flu.

The company is in talks with the health authorities about its plan.

Hyundai said it wants to prevent a so-called twindemic — the double spread of the coronavirus and the flu — during winters. Medical professionals are struggling to distinguish the flu and Covid-19 in early stages as the two produce similar symptoms.

The mortality rate for a Covid-19 patient who also has the flu is about 2.3 times higher than for a person only infected with the coronavirus, according to the company.

“Covid-19 and the flu are diseases for which preemptive actions are particularly needed,” said a spokesperson for Hyundai Bioscience. “CP-COV03 will become a safe antiviral treatment that can treat both coronavirus and the flu.”

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]